Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Thames is 33.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Thames is 37.4% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 29.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.78 NZ$24.83
$11.85 MX$205
24.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 NZ$133
$42.16 MX$730
87.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.46 NZ$15.89
$10.75 MX$186
-12.00%
Cappuccino
$3.53 NZ$5.93
$3.47 MX$60.2
1.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 NZ$3.82
$1.45 MX$25.17
57.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 NZ$3.73
$0.90 MX$15.64
146.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.11 NZ$11.95
$3.05 MX$52.9
133.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.29 NZ$12.24
$4.42 MX$76.5
64.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 NZ$3.03
$1.37 MX$23.72
32.12%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 NZ$3.53
$1.87 MX$32.43
12.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 NZ$3.26
$1.54 MX$26.74
25.97%
Eggs
$6.87 NZ$11.55
$2.50 MX$43.36
174.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.55 NZ$14.36
$8.61 MX$149
-0.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.56 NZ$16.06
$8.63 MX$150
10.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.18 NZ$22.13
$11.02 MX$191
19.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 NZ$4.73
$2.75 MX$47.62
2.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 NZ$3.87
$1.43 MX$24.73
60.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 NZ$5.38
$1.87 MX$32.44
71.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 NZ$6.97
$2.17 MX$37.54
91.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.49
$1.88 MX$32.61
10.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 NZ$2.75
$2.25 MX$38.91
-27.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.91 NZ$3.21
$1.07 MX$18.49
78.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NZ$2.09
$1.07 MX$18.59
16.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.76 NZ$43.29
$4.15 MX$72.0
520.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.72 NZ$18.02
$10.34 MX$179
3.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.91 NZ$4.89
$1.68 MX$29.08
73.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 NZ$6.43
$2.48 MX$43.02
54.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 NZ$3.45
$0.55 MX$9.61
272.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 NZ$107
$26.53 MX$459
140.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.07 NZ$3.48
$3.22 MX$55.7
-35.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 NZ$3.27
$2.48 MX$42.98
-21.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.57 NZ$59.8
$3.11 MX$53.9
1043.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 NZ$2.77
$1.26 MX$21.75
30.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K NZ$47.3K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-8.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K NZ$37.2K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-8.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 NZ$244
$82.5 MX$1,429
75.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.72 NZ$51.6
$22.29 MX$386
37.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.06 NZ$80.7
$30.02 MX$520
60.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.62 NZ$61.5
$51.4 MX$891
-28.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.03 NZ$20.22
$18.29 MX$317
-34.23%
Cinema Ticket
$15.19 NZ$25.52
$4.98 MX$86.3
205.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$892 NZ$1,499
$200 MX$3,464
346.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.7K NZ$23.0K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
158.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.7 NZ$117
$35.71 MX$618
95.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.4 NZ$84.6
$39.56 MX$685
27.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.1 NZ$163
$80.6 MX$1,395
20.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 NZ$212
$88.3 MX$1,530
42.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$970 NZ$1,630
$969 MX$16.8K
0.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$786 NZ$1,321
$482 MX$8,352
63.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 NZ$2,603
$1,595 MX$27.6K
-2.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,434 NZ$2,409
$1,184 MX$20.5K
21.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,747 NZ$7,975
$4,050 MX$70.1K
17.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,656 NZ$6,142
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-43.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thames
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$756 MX$13.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
11.42
-44.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Thames: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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